Author – Abhinav Dwivedi

There Is Something Romantic About JNU

After watching a million TV debates, talk shows, documentaries, intense googling and talking to some sane-heads, I discovered there is something romantic about JNU. The first thing which struck me was that it unshackles you from your inherited identity. Whether you are a Haryanavi, a JAT or an east UP Brahmin, all that takes a backseat and you don’t mind being called a JAT or Pandit. It all gets absorbed in an immense spirit of camaraderie.

As any other campus, JNU has its Right, Left and Centre tribes and divided ideologies. And like any other campus there is a primary tilt towards a particular ideology; in JNU, it seems tilted a little more towards Left. Now leftism is fine but the only problem with being a leftist is, that they talk about socialism and demand sacrifices from the public but the people at the helm of affairs rarely follow what they preach. Like in the communist countries, leaders are powerful but the people are suffering. They will ask you to eat grass if you are starving but won’t allow you to beg, making sure that the leaders easily secure their 3 meals of the day.

Why it is tilted, is because of students from all walks of life study at JNU. You may find a Brahmin supporting reservation and a Dalit might like the idea of removal of creamy layer. Anything debatable on the social spectrum is the very genesis of leftist articulation. That’s how these kids evolve day in day out. Interestingly everyone who joins JNU seems to lay emphasis on learning English. Why? Because they know the India they live in. Not knowing English equals them to being illiterate in an intellectual arena. And numerous others like KanhaiyaKumar find solace in this contemporary thought process which atleast looks like seeking justice.

But all said and done this is what JNU looks like

contemporary yet modern

creative yet provoking

In a nut-shell, it is ideal as well as dangerous for a common Joe.

Ideal why – Because irrespective of the caste or creed it lets you think. If you are pushed towards Left, the fiery belly it invokes will make you ask why not Right. That’s the beauty of it, refusal to be gullibleand courage to see the flip side of the coin. It gives an institution a better chance of molding wiser citizens.

Dangerous why – The very campus is a molding ground and has no protective shield for evil sentiments. Having a contemporary outlook is wise but opposing everything in the fabric you are embedded in (Our Nation) is not contemporary, it is plain blunt stupidity. Finding mistakes is easy, accepting and correcting absorbs the primary chunk of your sanity.

Sadly for Kanhaiya he will only become a leader now. Not sure if he wished to do something else in life, but now he can thank the government of the day for giving him this platform whether in jail or out of jail. Whether something gets proved or not now there is no turning back. His fortune is set to be a proper Netaji. The speech after the release was a stamping approval or as they say the LAAL SALAAM.

Interestingly, Shekhar Gupta of Business Standard, said in one of his news shows, that if Vajpayeji would have been the Prime Minister, he might would‘ve said, “Arey ladke hain, naarey vaarey laganey do, thodey din mein sab IAS ke paper de rahey hongey”. In a nutshell, don’t pay much heed.

On the contrary, there were extreme charges, you had goons in the court, doctored tapes, anti-social elements in the campus and all the OB Van tsunami.

Supporting Kanhaiya Kumar, JNU Student Leader

But in this extreme JNU Manthan (unlike a Samudra Manthan) another Netaji has emerged, who will take the national stage. It is just a matter of time now.